02 Episode - Winging And Kicking
Manage episode 361027854 series 3468543
The best drowning-prevention method to teach campers?
By Greg Schmidt
As an old-timer in aquatics, I’ve taught literally thousands of hours of swimming lessons. I became a water-safety instructor (WSI) in 1977 and water-safety instructor training (WSIT) in 1984, and have maintained those certifications. In those 45 years, I have learned about what matters most when it comes to drowning-prevention. Many people believe that being deep-water safe is focusing on the crawl stroke (aka freestyle). This stroke is used by nearly 100 percent of swimmers when doing laps, so it’s natural to think that swimmers use this stroke. But they really don’t. Swimming is merely propelling oneself in the water using arms and legs. Therefore, it seems logical that the easiest stroke should be taught first. In reality, instructors should teach winging and kicking before the crawl stroke.
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